H.S. girls basketball season previews
Hiland’s Joplin Yoder is fresh off a fantastic campaign last season and will be counted on as a driving force in the paint this winter.
The high school girls basketball season began Nov. 22. Here are season previews for schools in The Holmes Bargain Hunter’s coverage area:
Hiland
Making a deep tournament run is always the expectation for the Lady Hawks, and that’s not any different this season.
Although they lost several key pieces from last year’s team that went 25-3 and reached the Division IV regional finals, they’re poised for plenty of success again this year. Hiland will compete in Div. VII this season after the OHSAA decided to expand from four to seven divisions.
“We expect our team will be led by our post players as our young guards develop throughout the season,” third-year coach Brady Schlabach said. “Last year we were mainly led by our guard play.”
Seven letterwinners return — seniors Joplin Yoder (F), Ellie Habegar (F) and Trish Troyer (G); juniors Evie Mast (G) and Victoria Weaver (G); and sophomores Macy Mullet (G) and Maci Miller (F). Yoder was second on the team in scoring average last season (12.2) and led in rebounding average (6.8). Troyer averaged 7.4 points and made 55 three-pointers at a 37% clip.
Freshman guard Perryn Mishler also is expected to make an impact.
“Defense and rebounding are the only things we can control, so we would hope to continue to get better in that aspect,” Schlabach said. “We will really lean on our tough schedule to help prepare us for the tournament. We will have to find different ways to score throughout the year and hope kids step up.”
Hiland has won at least a share of 29 consecutive Inter-Valley Conference titles.
“I hope we can be close to the top (of the IVC),” Schlabach said. “We look at Tusky Valley and Ridgewood to be extremely tough games for us.”
West Holmes
The Lady Knights graduated four key contributors from last season’s team, but they return several talented players with experience.
“We will need our returners to step up and play a bigger role (this season) and look for newcomers to fill roles,” eighth-year coach Lindsy Belden said.
Seniors Aveona Yoder (F), Greta Rolince (F) and Jewel Brown (G) and juniors Briar Cline (G) and Zalina Proper (G) are the returning letterwinners. Cline was second on the team in scoring last year, averaging 8.9 points. Proper (7.2, third) and Yoder (6.4, fifth) also were key scorers. Yoder was second on the team in rebounding (4.6) and Cline third (4.3).
They’ll be joined by newcomers junior Lilli Al-Sultan Brown (F) and sophomores Cara McMillen (G), Mati Fair (G) and Rorie Wilcox (F).
“As always for us, we expect our defense to be a strength for us,” Belden said. “We will have many players that can fill many roles, so that versatility will be important for us. We had many players work hard this offseason, so we are expecting that to pay off for them.”
With several new pieces being inserted into the lineup, some growing pains early in the season are to be expected.
“We are adjusting to a new group of players playing together and figuring out what role each player is going to fill,” Belden said.
West Holmes finished last season 19-7 overall and won its fourth consecutive Ohio Cardinal Conference title by going 13-1 in conference games.
“The OCC will be tough again this year,” Belden said. “Our goal is to win the league, as we have the past four seasons. Ashland and Lexington will be top contenders.”
Garaway
The Lady Pirates have some things to patch up in the scoring department, but several talented players appear poised to step up and fill that void.
“We lose about 70% of our scoring from last season,” second-year coach Brooks Numbers said. “We have some holes to fill, but the girls are up to the challenge. It will be fun to see the young ones develop and find their place with the team.”
Paige Regula, Ellie Goehring, Jazzy Miller, Morgan Gerber and Charlee Yoder are the returning letterwinners.
Five freshmen are joining the program this season, which pleases Numbers because only one freshman joined last year.
“My hope is that all (the freshmen) can contribute on some level this season, whether it be on JV or varsity,” Numbers said.
Numbers expects his senior leaders to be a strength this year along with the newcomers’ fresh outlook.
Team cohesion could be an issue early in the season.
“We may struggle to find ourselves as a solidified unit to start (the season),” Numbers said. “Our volleyball team had a record-breaking season this year, and a few of our girls will only have two weeks of practice in before our first game, which can be challenging.”
Waynedale
During his tenure at Waynedale — one that includes a pair of state Final Four appearances — Rick Geiser has usually reloaded.
This year may be more of a rebuilding as the Golden Bears are replacing five quality players that helped them go 19-6 last season including a 12-2 runner-up finish in the Wayne County Athletic League.
“We returned a lot of experience last year, and this year we will be assembling a new team with talented young players that are relatively inexperienced at the varsity level,” said Geiser, a sterling 130-27 in his six years leading the girls program.
Junior combo guard Kylie Geiser is the team’s top returning scorer, averaging close to five points a game as a sophomore while handing out close to three assists a game. She’s also Waynedale’s top defensive player.
Junior Jorjia Persinger, a wing, earned Geiser’s praise as a great all-around player, but she’s out until midseason as she recovers from a knee injury. Sophomores Audrey Troyer, a point guard, and forward Bella Perry lettered as freshmen while junior forward Brooke Compston also returns.
The veterans will be joined by senior Kayla Miller and junior Madelynn Baney, both forwards, and guards Madi Miller (junior) and sophomores Natalie Clever and Mya Spitler.
“We expect to be a feisty defensive team that plays really hard,” Geiser said. “We have a bunch of great kids that like each other and will hold each other accountable to make the right play.
“We will continue to improve as we gain experience. We will be searching for consistent scoring and rebounding from our team early and will steadily improve as we find this consistency.”
Geiser said he sees the WCAL race as wide open, with most teams faced with replacing key graduation losses.